Los Angeles

Things to do in Los Angeles

Whether you are on a family vacation or taking a romantic escape, you can’t run out of memorable things to do in Los Angeles. There are a few diversions that will make for a classic trip. To sight-see without driving, walk (or rent bikes and ride) the beachside paths from Santa Monica down to Venice Beach, and see how the shift from well-heeled to tattooed and pierced can be vivid. Love architecture? A trip to the J. Paul Getty Museum is worth a trip just for the Richard Meier-designed space—and a world-class collection speaks for itself. Otherwise don’t miss the Gamble House in Pasadena, as well as the lineup of beautifully kept bungalows—a California classic— along this town’s residential streets.

Window-shopping along Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills is one of the top things to do in Los Angeles, even if Cartier is not within your budget. For the ultimate L.A. malls, meanwhile, check out the Beverly Center and The Grove. For more hipster-friendly fare, walk down Melrose or go to Santa Monica, where Montana Avenue has a long line of charming boutiques. What to do in Los Angeles with kids? It’s hard to resist the pull of a day trip to going down to Orange County (less than an hour away) to do Disneyland, but kids who love theme park will also love Universal Studios Hollywood and, for more old-school theme park fun, the amusement park at Santa Monica’s Pier.

This hulking campus of interior design showrooms cuts a striking figure in the neighborhood—it’s been nicknamed the “Blue Whale” for the outsized scale of its main blue-tinted building relative to surrounding structures.

This casual, organic cafe is the de facto community kitchen of Brentwood. Locals turn out in droves—especially at weekend brunch—for morning goodies like the egg dishes and stuffed French toast or afternoon fare like the enormous salads and Paninis.

Running is practically a religion in Brentwood, where the coral-tree-lined center divider of San Vicente Boulevard doubles as a running path. The fleet-footed will find all manner of on-trend, performance running shoes here and über-knowledgeable staff to help them make the perfect selection.